Deafened
by Lighthouse360
Summary: This story is going back in time to 2011 when Sam was in the limo explosion and lost her hearing. I've always felt that the storyline was too short and decided to take the opportunity to expand it. Danny and Scout are alive, despite it being 2011, and are included in this story. How will Sam deal with the loss of her hearing? How will her family react? Jasam and Samlexis.
1. Chapter 1

**Deafened**

 **Summary** : This story is going back in time to 2011 when Sam was in the limo explosion and lost her hearing. I've always felt that the storyline was too short and decided to take the opportunity to expand it. There is some confusion in that it is 2011 but I'm imagining that Danny and Scout are alive and are the age that they are today. I felt like this story would be more interesting and provide more angst, drama, and juiciness. Also, in this story, Scout is Jason's (not trying to overcomplicate things too much. Whether you picture Jason to be played by SBu or BM is completely up to you.

Let me know your thoughts and enjoy.

 **Chapter 1**

Jason sat patiently and quietly beside Sam as she slept soundly, seemingly not bothered by the constant bustle and hustle of the hospital. Jason was glad that she was finally getting some sleep. She had complained of a headache earlier and Patrick had prescribed some painkillers and rest. He had also ordered for her not to get out of bed without assistance after the latest incident.

He'd been terrified to walk into Sam's room with Kristina sitting on an empty bed. It didn't help matters that Kristina was panicking and going on about her friend Ally. He breathed a sigh of relief when Sam returned but, alas, she still couldn't hear. Dr. Drake had assured them that the specialist would be in to see Sam as soon as possible but it wasn't soon enough for Jason, Alexis and especially not for Sam.

He knew Sam was terrified though she didn't let it on. She had cried briefly when she first realized the situation in the ER, but now, she had kept it all internalized. It was also as if for Sam if she were to reveal her emotions it'd be an avalanche effect. It would make the situation more evident, truer and dire.

Alexis had noticed the change in demeanor from Sam as well. She and Jason had been together with Sam as she slept after Ethan had offered to bring Kristina and Molly home. Both sat on either side of Sam, changing their gazes from Sam to their phones, to their surroundings and back to Sam again.

Alexis would tap her foot before Jason kindly ask her to stop. Then Jason would tap his fingers against the bed railing to a nervous rhythm before Alexis asked him to kindly stop.

"She doesn't look as pale as she did yesterday," Alexis whispered.

"No, some of her color is returning but her bruises are more pronounced," Jason replied. Both of Sam's cheeks were bruised; almost as if she had applied a harsh color of blush. There were also bruises and scratches on her upper arms that peaked out from the hospital gown. "She must have struggled against the Balkan or his henchmen before they drugged her."

"I'd love to get my hands on those bastards," Alexis said angrily, and Jason replied with a confused look. "Anyone who hurts any of my daughters is already dead to me. Just look what I did to Keifer."

"That was an accident."

"So they say."

Jason had been surprised by Alexis, but he couldn't say he felt any different. He hoped that when the Balkan was found he'd die a slow and painful death. Surely he wouldn't be missed. But Jason had given the job to Sonny; h didn't have the time to chase after the man that's been elusive all these months. He needed to stay by Sam, to help and support her. Hopefully, the specialist will have some answers. Maybe, this is all temporary and Sam will have her hearing back tomorrow. But he had an eerie feeling that that wasn't the case. That this was just the beginning.

* * *

Sam woke up, slowly opening her eyes, blinking a few times to get used to the bright fluorescent lights, and found her hands intertwined with Jason's. He'd fallen asleep next to her in a plastic chair, hunched over, with his head on her bed. She was awake before him; a rarity that she'd surely take advantage of. She studied his features, his high and sharp cheekbones, sharp nose, and the blond hair that was usually spiked. He had showered in the morning, here in the hospital and there was no gel to spike his hair, so now it simply hung over his forehead. She thought it was cute. Made him look softer and more youthful.

She closed her eyes for a few moments, focusing on her hearing, trying to hear her heart monitor, but alas, it was still quiet. And so, she simply kept her gaze towards a sleeping Jason, not willing to wake him up. She knew that he had stayed up as long as he possibly could, in case she woke up and needed him. But at some point, throughout the night, his body betrayed him. And though Jason always says he doesn't need much sleep, she was going to let him sleep for as long as possible.

It wasn't much longer, however. Jason suddenly woke up in a startle and quickly turned towards the door. Sam followed his gaze.

"Hi! Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Alexis had barged into the room.

"No, it's fine. Come on in. I was just resting."

"I wasn't sure when the specialist would come in, so I figured I'd get here early just in case," Alexis explained, and Jason nodded in response.

"Hi honey, "Alexis waved to her daughter who kept mute and returned the wave. "Can you hear?" she asked with various hand signals so that Sam understood.

"Nothing," Sam shook her head. Alexis and Jason tried to hide their disappointment, but it was still evident.

"Do you still have a headache?" Alexis asked, again with hand signals and again, Sam shook her head.

"That's good." Alexis dropped her purse at the foot of the bed and walked over to Sam's bedside.

"I love you," she mouthed to Sam while holding Sam's face in her hands.

"I love you too," Sam replied loudly, unaware of her own volume of speech. Alexis leaned in to give a hug, one that was quickly returned. They both held onto one another longer than what felt like normal but they both didn't want to let go. Jason stood aside and again could see how blatantly scared Sam was.

"Do you need anything?" Alexis asked but this time, her question wasn't understood by her daughter. She tried with more exaggerated movements and slower speech.

"No," Sam shook her head. "I'm tired." Jason gave a pitied look. The nights in the hospital didn't garner either of them much sleep as the nurses came in every two hours on the first night to purposely wake Sam up because of concussion protocol. And then the previous two nights weren't much of an improvement. Sam began experiencing painful headaches, something that Patrick said was to be expected and not a warrant for further concern. But it concerned Alexis and Jason. Neither wanted to see Sam suffering and Jason had blown up at Patrick. He was powerless to help the woman he loves but the doctor had the medical degree. He was the one that was supposed to help but Jason felt he wasn't doing anything. The simple answer, though, was that there was little for Patrick to do. All Dr. Drake could do was offer to prescribe Sam sumatriptan instead of the ordinary ibuprofen or acetaminophen in the hopes it would alleviate Sam's symptoms and it did for the most part. Along with a sedative, Sam was finally able to sleep for a few hours.

Jason quickly grabbed the small whiteboard and marker on the nightstand beside the bed and began writing. "Do you want me to ask the nurse if they can give you another sedative?" Jason wrote quickly on the board before turning it around to Sam.

"No, it makes me foggy."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Hi Jason and Alexis, good morning," Dr. Drake walked in the room, with a middle-aged woman in a white coat beside him. "I'd like for you to meet Dr. Clars, she's a specialist that I brought in to examine Sam. Dr. Clars, this is Sam's mother and long-time boyfriend."

"Hi, nice to meet you," the new doctor offered her hand. "Dr. Drake filled me in on everything earlier today and from what I understand, Sam has completely lost her hearing?"

Jason and Alexis went on to explain all the events that had occurred, and the symptoms Sam had been experiencing. Meanwhile, Sam turned her head to look out the window, seemingly left out of another conversation that was about her. Left to her own thoughts, Sam couldn't help but think that this could be the rest of her life. Simply out of touch with the rest of the world. She'd been trying not to think of the worst, never being able to hear Danny's laugh, Scout's cries, and Jason's soothing voice, but moments like this, there was little else she could think about. She felt a few tears well up in her eye but was quick to suppress them.

"Well, the plan of action is as follows. I'll begin with a simple physical exam and I'll look over her MRI scans that were taken over the last two days. Dr. Drake already assured me that he didn't spot any brain bleeds, which is great. Based on that, I'll determine if I want to run any further exams and tests. We'll look to see if Sam's hearing loss is temporary and determine a treatment plan for her," Dr. Clars spoke in detail.

"What are you looking for in the scans. I'm sure Patrick has gone through those several times?" Alexis asked.

"Right, I'm certain he has, however, he's not an expert on hearing or traumatic injury to the ears, and he may have missed some evidence of damage to Sam's inner ears."

Both Alexis and Jason were slightly taken aback by the doctor's directedness.

"I don't mean any disrespect to Dr. Drake," the doctor followed.

"If there is damage to Sam's inner ears, is it fixable?" Jason asked this time.

"Yes, it is. I'll get more into the specifics once we know more."

Jason turned around to check on Sam and immediately felt a pang of guilt. She was looking out the window, lost in her own world. He moved towards her and then saw the tears that had threatened to fall from her eyes.

"Everything is ok," he mouthed to her.

Alexis turned around and saw Sam's distress.

"Baby, don't cry, don't cry." She moved to wipe away her daughter's tears.

"Would you like for me to administer a small sedative before we run some tests?" Dr. Clars asked, feeling rather awkward alongside Dr. Drake in the corner of the room.

Jason was quick to shake his head. "No, just give her a minute." Sam didn't like sedatives; she wanted to be in control and alert, something that was already so difficult to do.

"We'll give you some time alone," Patrick spoke, opening the door and giving Dr. Clars the hint to leave as well.

"Thank you," Jason replied, before turning to Sam.

"What is happening?" Sam asked loudly. Jason picked up the whiteboard, writing in short brief sentences to summarize the conversation between him and doctors, and then showing the board to Sam for her to read. Alexis simply held Sam's hand and wiped away a stray tear that finally fell down Sam's cheek.

"It's ok," Jason spoke. "I'm here. I love you."

Sam picked up her hand, pushing her middle and ring finger down and turned her hand towards Jason.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all so much for the many reviews on the previous chapter. I wasn't expecting it at all as I was worried that maybe to others this story may be boring and perhaps even a little confusing because of the timeline. But you guys are the best. I really sincerely appreciate it. I thoroughly enjoy writing this story and I have so many ideas for further chapters in this story.

Thank you again and I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"The kids?" Sam asked as Jason walked into the room.

"They're good," Jason gave her a thumbs up. He'd gone quickly to bring Danny to school upon Sam's insistence. They were simply waiting on the orderlies to bring her to her tests and Sam felt it better for Jason to spend a little time with Danny so that he wasn't left alone or scared. Jason continued, "Danny wants to see you."

"I want to see him too," Sam replied. Since the accident, there hadn't been an opportunity to bring Danny to the hospital. He'd been asleep at the Quartermaines when Sam had been brought to the hospital and it would've been simply too chaotic to wake up Danny and possibly scare him by bringing him to the hospital. Then yesterday the plan was for Jason to pick up Danny and Scout at the Quartermaines when Danny was back from school, but then Sam had had her fainting spell and continued experiencing intense headaches before finally needing to be sedated.

"I'll bring him when he's back from school," Jason said. All Danny knew was that his mom was hurt but not that she couldn't hear and that was the reason why Jason insists he picks up his son. He wanted to be the one to explain to his son, not that he knew how.

"He'll be scared," Sam whispered. There was the occasional cold and the one-time flu that Danny had seen Sam suffer through, but beyond that, Sam had done a good job keeping Danny at bay whenever she was hurt.

"Sam, it's Danny. He doesn't get scared," Jason made an attempt for a lighter mood and it worked for the most part.

"He's like a carbon copy of you," Sam laughed softly. "Mini Jason running around the living room."

"Exactly. He'll be fine."

* * *

"I want to get out of bed," Sam said giving Jason a near puppy-eyed look. The doctors had run their exams and tests; she'd been poked and prodded. They ran another CAT scan, took another blood test, and performed a whole slew of physical exams. The entire time Sam hardly knew what was happening. The staff would try to explain, albeit through hand signals or through the whiteboard, but it was still frustrating to receive a clear explanation.

"I know you do but remember what happened yesterday," Jason replied with exaggerated mouthing and grandiose hand gestures. The couple had managed to find a way to communicate without the whiteboard and it was a comfort for the both of them. They'd figured out an elementary system of signals and movements that was enough to translate the message. It wasn't foolproof by any means and there were moments when Sam asked for clarification, but it was still less frustrating than communicating with a whiteboard.

"Please Jason," Sam pleaded, putting her hands together as if to beg. After the myriad of tests, the couple was left with "wait and see". Dr. Clars had said that she needed to review the tests and that she'd be back by the end of the day with the results. This had left Sam crawling up the walls.

"Let me call the nurse and see what she says, okay?" Jason answered, pointing towards the call button, and when it earned a nod from Sam, he pressed the button. They patiently waited a few moments before an older nurse walked in.

"Hello," she greeted, waving to Sam. "What can I help you with?" she signed.

"I want to get out of bed," Sam answered.

"Okay," the nurse said hesitantly. After a few pondered seconds passed, the nurse picked up the whiteboard, wrote down a message and then turned the board around. "I'll help you, but we'll take it slowly."

A large smile quickly crept up on Sam's face and it was proven infectious as Jason caught the grin.

"Thank you," Sam said. She was in favor of the nurse from the start. The nurse, Anne, was short in stature, had a cute pixie cut, colored red, wore large black rimmed glasses and was in her mid-50's. She'd been the only nurse or doctor thus far who addressed her first instead of Jason or her mother. Anne asked for Sam's permission instead of Jason or Alexis and it made Sam feel like she wasn't a child waiting for her parents' permission.

Anne also wasn't afraid of defying doctor's orders. She was for the best interest of her patients and not the doctors' egos, and though Patrick had been understandably cautious for his patient, Sam was going to lose it if she to be in bed much longer.

"Okay, what we'll do first is have you sit up," the nurse instructed. Sam nodded, and Anne moved to the side of the bed to press the buttons on the bed. Slowly the head of the bed moved upright and Sam was sitting straight.

Anne kept her eyes focused on both Sam and her monitors. Jason stood on the other side of Sam holding her hand.

"Okay?" Anne asked.

"Yes, good," Sam answered honestly. She didn't feel any dizziness so far.

"Great, now swing your legs over to the side of the bed." Sam did as asked, letting go of Jason's hand and brought her legs to hang over the edge, facing Anne. Jason moved over to the other side to face Sam.

"Okay?" Anne asked again.

"A little dizzy," Sam answered differently this time.

"That's fine. It's normal. Take your time," Anne glanced over towards to Jason as if to say to get the board and Jason, thankfully, was quick to follow. Grabbing the whiteboard, he wrote down what Anne had said and then showed Sam.

Anne looked back towards Sam and her monitors, checking for any noticeable drop in Sam's blood pressure. Jason's eyes remained on Sam, feeling uncomfortable and useless; there was so little he could do… for everything.

"Good," Sam said, looking up at Anne.

"Are you sure? Take a deep breath for me." The nurse didn't like the pallor in her patient's face. Sam took in a slow deep breath, letting it out slowly and then immediately shut her eyes.

"Nauseous," Sam mumbled.

"Alright, let's put your legs back onto the bed," Anne commanded, responding quickly. Jason, having placed the whiteboard on the table, stepped in front, lifting Sam's legs and placing them back on the mattress. "Take care of her, I'll be right back," Anne instructed before hastily heading out of the room.

"It's going to be okay," Jason reached for Sam's hands. "Take another deep breath."

Sam followed the instructions, ensuring that her breathing was even and steady as if trying to breathe away the nausea. Jason mimicked Sam's rhythm, as added support, keeping a steady tempo.

"Okay," Sam said, looking up at Jason. She wanted another try. Jason simply nodded. Once again, she swung her legs over and allowed them to hang over the edge.

"It's better this time," she said.

"Give it a few more seconds. Take another breath," Jason didn't want to rush things. There was no need. Same closed her eyes, again, and gave herself a moment. Opening her eyes, she then gave Jason a nod.

"Slowly, okay," Jason demanded. Sam wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew he was justifiably concerned. Giving her an arm, Jason let Sam grab onto it as she pulled herself up into a standing position. He could feel her wobble and so he wrapped his arm around her back to steady her. Obtaining her attention, Jason took a large breath and Sam took his cue. Both remained at such a stance, taking slow and large breaths, holding onto one another, until Sam opened her eyes.

"Okay?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Sam replied with a genuine smile, "this feels good." Jason was glad. It almost made him feel as if he wasn't so helpless. Almost.

Just then Anne scurried to the doorway with crackers in one hand and ginger ale in the other. She stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing the scene in front of her. The couple hadn't even noticed her, for which she was grateful. She reached in to close the door slightly, giving the couple a little more privacy, before turning to head back to the nurses' station.

"Dr. Drake!" She spotted the doctor heading for Sam's room to check up on his patient. "I could use your help quickly at the nurse's desk." She'd made an excuse. The couple deserved a small moment of happiness instead of a lecture by the neurosurgeon.

* * *

"Hi Monica," he greeted when his mother opened the door.

"Jason, hi, come on in," she waved him in. "Danny is up in his room cleaning up his toys and then he'll be down."

"Great, thank you for taking care of the kids."

"They're my grandchildren! There's nothing I love more than taking care of them and watching them grow up," Monica closed the door behind Jason. "How is Sam?"

"She…um… she's ok considering what could have been but… I don't know. She's hiding," Jason answered, surprised at his forthcoming honesty.

"Hiding from what?" Monica asked.

"I'm not sure. I feel like she's hiding her fear because she's afraid if she acknowledges her fear, it'll make it more real for her some way."

"I can't even imagine what she's going through," Monica replied, shaking her head. "Did the specialist give you any answers yet?"

"Not yet. She said that she needs to review the results first but that she'd tell us the results by the end of the day. So, we've just been waiting," Jason answered.

"It must be agonizing."

"It is. I'm not sure how Sam is able to hold together."

"How have you been able to hold it together?" Monica asked her son.

"What do you mean?"

"How are _you_ doing with everything that's happened?"

"Me? I'm not the one you should be concerned about," he scoffed.

"Well, I am concerned, and I'll ask again. How are you doing?"

Jason turned away, not willing to divulge his own feelings.

"This has to be scary for you as well."

"It is… it is… I'm scared for her. And I feel helpless, mom," Jason spoke. "I see the look in her eyes, her pain, her anxiety, and I can't do anything about it. It's like I'm not doing enough. Heck, I can hardly say anything because she can't hear me. I can't be what she needs me to be!"

Monica let her son have a short rant. It was obvious to her that her son was still withholding more emotions, but she wasn't going to be the one to push her luck. It was evident that he was struggling with all that happened, and Sam was hiding, but so was Jason.

"Jason… you're doing enough. I understand that you feel as if you're doing nothing but you're enough. You've never been a man of many words and it's certainly not what Sam needs right now. She needs someone by her side, that'll be there when she falls and will hold her hand, dry her tears, and to be her hears…"

"Mom…" Jason wanted to interrupt.

"Jason. I've been able to get to know Sam over the years and I've been able to witness your relationship. There's always the common theme for Sam. You make her feel safe. _You_ are what she needs."


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hi there! I'm sorry for leaving this story behind for a while. Hopefully, this longer update will make up for it somewhat.

There are some medical jargon and stuff in this chapter, and, while I did do my research, I'm still taking the liberty that fiction affords me to make the medical stuff not entirely accurate.

Enjoy and let me know your thoughts! Thank you for reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Sam felt good after having been able to stand up. It was only for a few minutes, but she felt a sense of herself again. To feel her bare feet on the cold hospital room floor and to have it tingle up her back. She felt slightly more human. For the most part, the sedatives had run their course and she was more alert. There was no longer a fog that surrounded her.

Alexis was sitting beside her on her laptop answering emails. Earlier in the day, she came with an iPad for Sam. Kristina and Molly found an app that was able to transcribe speech. It wasn't entirely accurate, but it was beneficial enough for Sam and helped to move the conversation along. It also helped the feelings of isolation that Sam was previously experiencing.

Now the iPad lay beside Sam on the bed. There wasn't much conversation to be had between Sam and Alexis. And Alexis believed that Sam was resting. And Sam was resting. Or at least trying to. Her anxiety was intense, and she wished more than anything to have Jason with her right now. Instead, He was still out grabbing the kids so that they could come for a visit. Her daydreams, when she'd have them, had been coerced into nightmares. Ones where the doctors would tell her the worst-case scenarios. One in which she was told she'd never hear again. But that daydream, or nightmare if you will, was mild compared to others. There were others where the doctors had told her she had a small hidden deadly tumor in her brain. She'd never see her kids grow up. It was as if without her hearing, her imagination had all the more time and energy to run rampant.

* * *

Jason walked into the small bedroom where Scout was soundly asleep. Currently at the Quartermaines' mansion, and waiting for his son, Jason had been told by Monica that Danny was with Cook baking chocolate chip cookies. She had additionally told him to go upstairs to Scout and she would send Danny up when he finished baking. Jason had agreed and now he stood over his napping daughter, taking in all her preciousness. Sleeping on her back with her thumb in her mouth, Scout seemed to define sleeping beauty.

Jason noticed that whereas Danny was a copy of himself, Scout was a copy of her mother. She has a heart-shaped face with beautifully expressive brown eyes. Her smile was capable of radiating a whole room. She had jet black straight hair just as Sam's, the curls she had at birth seemingly vacant. Jason found himself wondering if his daughter would be as talkative as Sam. Scout certainly cried more often than Danny ever did.

It's true what they say though. The daughter is daddy's little girl and Scout had certainly stolen Jason's heart. Jason remembered Sam's frustration when it had taken her hours to get Scout to sleep but the moment Jason picked her up, Scout passed out. Jason had to reassure Sam that she wasn't an inadequate mother. He had pleaded with Scout to make life a little easier for her mother. Sam's confidence had been waning and Jason didn't want Sam to ever believe herself a bad mother. The truth was that Jason found himself to be in awe of Sam every single day. He couldn't imagine a better mother for his kids.

"Dad!" Danny yelled from outside the room, running in and rushing towards Jason.

"Hey there," Jason wrapped him up, picking him up and walked out into the hallway to not wake Scout. "How was school?"

"Good," Danny answered simply.

"Yeah?"

"I miss mommy," the little boy said quietly.

"I know, I know. Mommy misses you too. So much. I promise you that we're going to see her real soon. But I want to talk to you first. Is that okay?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah? Okay," Jason set Danny back on his feet and then crouched down to his level. He wasn't certain how to start. How does one even begin to explain everything that had transpired?

"Danny, so you know how Mommy was in an accident?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well in the accident, Mommy got a little hurt," Jason started. He was going to leave out the needless and gruesome details like the limo exploding. "She has some cuts and she hit her head."

"Is mommy okay?" the little boy asked worriedly. Danny looked down and fiddled with his hands, feeling nervous and anxious.

"Yes, mommy is fine. The thing is… because of the accident, Mommy can't hear anymore."

"What?" Danny looked up at his father with confusion and incomprehension.

"The accident hurt her ears and now she can't hear anymore."

"I don't get it," Danny replied. He couldn't understand how someone couldn't hear anymore. Wasn't hearing something that just happened? Jason looked beside himself, searching for a way to explain properly. He mulled it over for a few more moments before it finally hit him.

"Here Danny, how about we try this? Put your hands over your ears and cover them very tightly and then afterward tell me how well you can hear me. All right?" Jason suggested. Danny nodded and pulled his hands over his ears and pressed down on them very hard. Jason, as an extra measure, then placed his own hands over the top of his sons'.

"Can you hear me?" Jason asked then. Danny smiled and tried to get closer to his father to hear better.

"Do it again!" he demanded. Jason smiled in response. Danny was still such an innocent child.

"Can you hear me?"

"I can't hear you!" Danny removed his hands from his ears.

"Exactly. That is what's happened to mommy."

Danny nodded, seemingly grasping the idea now. Jason was relieved that he had managed to find a way to explain the situation to his son.

"Will she get it back?"

"I don't know buddy," Jason didn't see the point in lying. "We hope it will. For now, mommy has this cool app on her iPad that you can talk into and then the iPad will write out your words so mom can read what you're saying. And me, grandma Alexis, grandma Monica, or anyone else, can write your words down on a piece of paper, also."

"Can mom answer back?"

"Yes, of course, Danny. She may talk a little louder than normal, though, because she can't hear herself talk."

"She can't hear herself talk?!" Danny was shocked.

"No, she can't. But it's fine. As I said, she can still talk to you. And now one more thing, Danny. This is going to be tough on your mom, okay…"

"Don't worry, dad," Danny interrupted Jason before he could finish. "I will help mommy."

Jason smiled. "Thank you. Mom will love that. But if you ever need someone to talk to, because it can be tough for you as well, I am here." Danny nodded. "Okay, what do you say we get your sister and go to the hospital?"

"Yes! Can we go to the kitchen to get the cookies? I want to give them to mom."

"Yes of course. Mom will love them."

* * *

"Good afternoon, I have some test results for you." Dr. Clars announced upon walking into the room, closing the door behind her.

"Hi there," Alexis greeted, patting Sam on the arm to wake her. "Give me a moment." Sam's eyes flew open and then turned to realize that the doctor was in the room. Alexis took the iPad, turning it on and then gave it to Sam. "Thank you," Sam replied.

"The doctor is here with the test results," Alexis started, and her words popped up on the screen in front of Sam. "Jason isn't here, do you want to wait?"

"No, Jason will have the kids with him," Sam replied. She didn't want the kids in the room while the doctor spoke in case she wasn't able to control her emotions. She didn't want to cry in front of her kids. Danny and Scout need to know that everything is okay. That their mother is strong.

Alexis nodded and turned towards the doctor.

"I'll begin with the good news," the doctor began. She talked slowly to allow time for the iPad to process her speech. "The scans don't show any skull fractures or brain bleeds."

"Okay, but Patrick already confirmed that," Alexis stated with slight confusion.

"Right, however, in some rare cases a bleed may not always show up on a brain scan right away."

"Okay, and what's the bad news?" Alexis and Sam braced themselves. The good news didn't have much to offer. Good news would have been that this was all a joke and Sam would have her hearing back by tomorrow.

"First, Sam's temporal membranes, otherwise known as the eardrums, are perforated in both ears, most likely due to the intense pressure from the blast."

"But that will heal, right?" Alexis asked, knowing from experience when Molly was young and had chronic ear infections.

"Yes… but…"

"So she'll get her hearing back," Alexis interrupted.

"It's not that simple," Dr. Clars answered. "In the tests, we found that Sam's vestibulocochlear nerve, the nerve that sends information from the ear to the brain, is damaged." A doleful and apprehensive air filled into the room. Sam's face paled upon reading the words.

"What does that mean?" Alexis asked, seemingly swallowing on her words. "Will she ever hear again?"

"It means that the head trauma that Sam sustained in the explosion, damaged the nerves in her ears. We can't be certain that Sam's hearing will ever return."

"So she's going to be deaf forever? She'll never be able to hear anything ever again?"

"Ms. Davis, it's hard to say. There have been patients who've shown recovery from this injury," Dr. Clars struggled on how best to inform her patient. This news was never easy to hand out and she hated this part of her job. Heck, she'd give anything to not be in the hospital room telling a patient that her life was possibly never going to be the same.

"So, I could get my hearing back? That's what you're saying," Sam spoke this time, clinging on to any hope that she could find in the doctor's words.

"Sam, I don't want to give you false hope. Yes, there is the possibility that your hearing can spontaneously return, however, it is within my experience that the more severe a patient's hearing loss, the less likely that patient will recover hearing. And considering you have a complete loss, I honestly do not expect for you to have a full recovery from the injury. I'm sorry to give you this news. I know we were hoping for better news."

Both Sam and Alexis were silent; they were stunned. Sam had thought about such news in her nightmares but never did the dreams tell her how to cope or how to react when the news finally came. Alexis hadn't allowed herself to think about the various circumstances. She didn't want herself to go crazy worrying about the worst-case scenarios. But now she felt as if a brick house was collapsing and tumbling on top of her.

"Would you like for me to give you some time alone? I can come back later to discuss what happens next," Dr. Clars proposed.

"Yes please," Alexis barely whispered, and Dr. Clars nodded before leaving, closing the door behind her. Sam let the iPad drop on her lap. The two of them sat there in silence, with their heads down. The only sound in the room being the monitors that kept their rhythmic beating, but Sam couldn't hear it and Alexis had grown numb to the sound. The hustle and bustle of the hospital had drowned away.

Sam moved her hand over to her mother's. Alexis grabbed Sam's hand, looking up towards her daughter. She could see the tears threatening to fall from her daughter's eyes. Alexis could feel her own cheeks burn as she kept her own tears wallowed up inside.

"It's going to be okay," Sam whispered, breaking the silence. "Everything is going to be okay."

"Yes, it is," Alexis took Sam's cue. "Everything will be fine." She marveled at Sam's strength, but she knew that inside, Sam was screaming. And it _was_ true. Sam was screaming inside. She so desperately wanted Jason to be here with her. "Where was he?" she screamed in her head.

"Baby look at me," Alexis caught her daughter's attention. She stood up and sat down beside Sam on the bed. She took Sam's hand in both of her own. "We will get through this. I promise. I will be here. Jason will be here. Molly and Kristina will be here. We will all learn sign language together. We'll make the necessary adjustments and we will be there for you."

Sam didn't need the iPad to understand what her mother was telling her. "Thank you," she choked out, still not wanting to cry.

"You're my daughter," Alexis put a hand to Sam's cheek, "I would give you the world and more if I could. Come here." She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Sam.

"Mommy!" Alexis jumped up and turned around. Danny came running into the room, springing onto the bed.

"Danny!" Sam threw her arms around her son, squeezing him and resting her head on top of his. Jason came running in with a sleeping Scout in his arms.

"Danny, you can't run away like that," Jason told Danny.

"I'm sorry, dad," Danny apologized, and Jason smiled, but not for long. He noticed the glum look on Alexis's face.

"What happened?" Jason asked. Alexis turned to face Jason and simply shook her head. That was all Jason needed. He understood. He turned to face Sam again. His stomach dropped and his heart lurched.

"Danny, do you want to do something for mommy?" Alexis asked. Danny untucked himself out of Sam's arms. "Mom's room seems a little boring and I think she'd really appreciate some flowers. Especially if they came from you. Do you want to go to the gift shop and help me pick out some flowers?"

"Okay," Danny was reluctant to leave his mom after just seeing her but his grandmother had insisted. "I love you mom," he told Sam.

"I love you too. So much," she replied. Danny jumped off the bed walked towards the door, waiting for grandma Alexis.

"Here, let me take Scout," Alexis took Scout from Jason's arms and walked out with the two children in tow. Jason closed the door after her.

"Jason," Sam cried. Jason ran up to her, throwing his around her. Her tears flowed freely and her hands gripped Jason's shirt. "Jason."


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Hello! I'm back with another update. Thank you for the reviews. I was not expecting such a response.

I'm a little concerned about the pacing of this story, so please let me know what you think.

Enjoy and please review! Thank you!

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

The doctors had come in later in the day after having handed the bad news. Dr. Clars had instructed Sam to take it easy, that she may still feel dizzy and have bouts of vertigo because of the concussion and because her eardrums would take some time to heal and return to a normal equilibrium again. Sam had been given some anti-inflammatory medications in the hope of removing any possible inflammation on the nerve, though the doctor hadn't changed her prognosis.

Patrick had informed Sam of possible headaches and migraines and to avoid screens, which made it difficult for Sam as she felt her basic access to the rest of the world was through an iPad.

Molly had offered to teach sign language after having already given a crash course lesson to both Sam and Jason. They were simple signs: Hello, goodbye, food, water and time. Molly had asked Sam to keep a list of words she deemed most helpful for her to learn, such that she can keep up basic communication. Molly would then teach the list of words to Sam.

Lastly, Dr. Clars had given the couple a card to a therapist who specialized in such areas. She felt it would help as the therapist could provide suggestions on how best to transition. Both Jason and Sam had scuffed at the card, but Sam knew that the doctor had a point. She'd need to find new ways to perform various tasks. Like in cases of emergencies, how was she to call 911? Was she even allowed to do things like drive? She had stuck the card into the pocket of her handbag. It may come in handy someday.

Beyond those instructions, the doctors didn't have much to say. Sam was to come in every two weeks to assess her hearing. Nurse Epiphany had come in earlier to show Jason how best to clean and dress Sam's few first-degree burns and scrapes. The nurse didn't have much to explain as the two of them already had plenty of experience, not only with themselves but also with the rambunctious Danny. He'd come home from school any times with scraped knees and elbows. Jason was honestly waiting for the day the boy would come home with a broken bone or stitches. They've been fortunate so far but knock on wood.

"You're going to need more concealer over here," Molly told Kristina. Now the following day Sam had been given her okay to be discharged. The two sisters were currently in the process of covering up all of Sam's cuts and bruises on her face. Kristina felt as if this was a return of gesture after Sam had done the same for her when she'd been beaten by Keifer that one dreaded summer. It hadn't taken all the hurt and pain away but it helped and she hoped it would help Sam despite her insistence that it wasn't necessary. Sam wasn't as concerned or influenced by how she looked. Nevertheless, she appreciated the sentiment. She knew that her sisters, and nearly everyone around her, felt the pressure to help her but they all didn't know how. Kristina and Molly had found a way so she allowed them to do her makeup.

In the meantime, Jason was packing all the gifts and essentials into gym bags. Alexis had gone to fill the prescriptions that Sam had received from the doctors. Occasionally, Sam would exchange looks with Jason as Molly and Kristina would argue over which shade of foundation or eye shadow worked best with Sam's complexion.

"Are all the papers signed?" Nurse Anne asked as she walked into the room with a wheelchair in tow.

"Yes and bags are all packed," Jason replied.

"And makeup is finished," Kristina additionally replied.

"And I have the meds," Alexis came walking in behind the nurse with a white paper bag in her hands.

"Okay then," the nurse laughed at the synchronization of it all. "Let's get you in the wheelchair then."

"I don't need a wheelchair," Sam said to the nurse. Jason, in response, tapped Sam on the shoulder and gave her a stern look. "Fine," she gave in. Jason helped her out of the bed into the chair. Sam had woken up today with significantly less dizziness. There was still some vertigo, but an improvement such that Sam was able to get out of bed with little trouble. It had given Dr. Drake slightly more confidence to release her. He wasn't so concerned for any follow-up fainting spells.

Jason placed one of the gym bags on Sam's lap while he held the other, and the nurse pushed Sam out of the room, and everyone followed. They waited for the elevator, entered and went down to the parking garage where Jason ran out to get the car. He drove the car around and Alexis and the nurse helped Sam into the passenger seat. Alexis, who had driven to the hospital in her own car, said her "see you later," as she was going to drive behind and meet up at the penthouse. And off they went.

Sam was okay as a start. It bothered her a little that she couldn't hear the engine but she could still feel it. She tried not to let it get to her. It was when the car turned or went over some potholes that Sam felt her stomach churn. Jason was quick to notice Sam's change in pallor.

"It's okay, Jason, keep driving," she reassured him.

"Have some water," he grabbed a bottle out his car door and handed it over. Sam graciously grabbed it and took a sip, hoping it would rid her nausea.

A few more minutes passed and Sam held a strong front. Dr. Drake had warned of dizziness but she hadn't thought it would affect her in the car.

"Stop, pull over!" she cried and Jason didn't need to be told twice. He tugged on the wheel and brought the car over to the shoulder of the road. Sam immediately thrust the car door open, emptying the contents of her stomach out onto the pavement. Jason cringed at the sound, but he leaned over and pulled Sam's hair out of the way and rubbed the small of her back.

"Better," she said as she sat back up.

"I'm sorry," Jason said.

"Don't Jason," Sam could almost hear him say the words.

"Is everything alright?" Jason hadn't noticed it but Alexis had pulled over as well and came running over.

"She got car sick," Jason explained and Sam turned around, not having noticed her mother standing beside her at first.

"Hi," she greeted her mom. "Tissue."

Alexis nodded and stuck her hand in her purse, pulling out a small packet of tissues. She proceeded to take one out and wiped her daughter's mouth. Sam rolled her eyes.

"Mom."

"Don't mom me and here have some water," Alexis handed a bottle of water to her. Sam took another sip before turning to both Jason and Alexis.

"I'm fine. I want to go home," she declared.

"Okay, love you, honey. See you soon," Alexis gave a kiss on Sam's forehead and then stood back, bringing her hand and clenching her middle and ring finger, and holding up the other three fingers, signing "I love you."

"I love you too," and with that, Alexis gently closed the door and Jason began driving again. They made it home without another incidence and they met Alexis, Krissy, and Molly at the penthouse. Sam walked in first and was shocked by what she saw.

A colorful banner with 'Welcome Home' was hung above the fireplace. It was signed by plenty of friends and family. There was even a handprint that Sam figured to be Scout's.

"Guys!" Sam was very pleasantly surprised.

"We even have cupcakes from Kelly's," Kristina said as she had wiggled her way from out behind Sam and grabbed a box from the coffee table. She opened it and showed Sam, "red velvet, you're favorite."

"Yum!" Sam grabbed the red velvet cupcake, quickly taking a yummy bite into the frosting and then turning to Jason. "Do you want?"

"No, no," he shook his head and shook his hands out in front of him for added emphasis.

"Oh, come on," Sam took a chunk of the cake out and when Jason brought his hands down, she smashed the chunk into Jason's face. Everyone laughed, Molly with her hand in front of her face. "Is it good? I know you have a sweet tooth."

Jason rolled his eyes and wiped off the icing before walking to the kitchen to wash it off.

"Good job honey," Alexis high-fived her daughter.

"Oh!" Molly remembered something, "Danny wrote you a card!" She walked towards the coffee table and grabbed a blue card, handing it to Sam.

"Get well soon, Mommy," Sam read. It touched her heart. As rambunctious as the little 6-year-old was, he also had the biggest and sweetest heart. The two kids were now spending time with Monica at the Quartermaine's as everyone felt it better to let Sam settle in before bringing the kids over.

"I helped him write it. But he did all the drawing himself," Molly explained, looking towards the crudely drawn flowers and hearts.

"Huh?" Sam didn't comprehend.

"Ah, wait a second," Alexis grabbed the iPad from her purse and handed it to Sam. Molly spoke again, this time Sam was able to 'hear'.

"Thank you, Molly. Thank you, everyone," Sam replied and Jason walked back into the living room. Sam put an arm around his waist. "This is all really nice and I wasn't expecting this at all. I don't know where I'd be without all of you, honestly."

"We will be here always. It may be tough in the coming weeks but never once hesitate that any one of us won't be there for you," Alexis replied. "Now, come on, let's get into a group hug." Krissy, Molly, Sam, and Alexis all pulled into a great big Davis girls hug but Alexis felt someone missing.

"Jason, get in here," Alexis demanded.

"Oh no, I'm good. Thank you," Jason took a step back, laughing.

"Girls!" and all four of them skootched closer to Jason, still intertwined with each other. The moment they were close enough, Molly and Kristina pulled on Jason's t-shirt and dragged him in. He reluctantly threw his arms around the group, rolling his eyes once again and then smirked.

"Hmm, better," Sam smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

AU: Thank you for the reviews. Enjoy the read!

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

"Shame on you for not checking the interior of your car before climbing in, Ms. McCall." Theo said as Sam looked up at her rear-view mirror.

"What do you want?"

"You're not very skilled as a conversationalist, are you?"

"You're never going to get your big revenge. Jason's going to get you first."

"That would be rather difficult, as Mr. Morgan is now at the Pine Barrens waiting to ambush me. In the meantime, I regret to inform you that your resemblance to the new Mrs. Corinthos will cost you your life."

"Get out of this car!" Sam demanded. Her heart was in her throat, beating too many times a second and her hands were gripped over the steering wheel, her knuckles turning a blanket white color. How did he know Jason was going to ambush him? The fact that he knows means Jason is in danger! "Get out now or…"

"Or you'll what?" Theo interrupted. He had this iconic haunting slow way of speech that drew chills down her spine. "I suggest you put more thought towards your next action. Your sisters would appreciate it"

Sam felt an anger boil inside her. She reached down to her jacket pocket, pulling out her small pistol and turned around to see her enemy, face to face, eye to eye.

"I swear if you do anything to…"

"Again, Ms. McCall, I would highly suggest you do not finish your threat. I am aware that Molly knows my true identity. I have ordered one of my armed henchmen to keep an eye on her. With the press of a button on my phone here, your sister will be no longer." Theo finished his own threat. Sam carefully turned back around and closed her eyes, almost as if to waive the white flag.

"That's better. Place your berretta in the passenger seat," and Sam followed the instruction, slowly and carefully giving up her gun. "Now place your hands back on the steering wheel."

Suddenly, the passenger side door opened and, along with a gust of wind, a gruel looking man stepped into the car, before closing the door behind him. The slam of the door made Sam flinch.

"Meet my employee, Mr. Stain."

Sam was almost afraid to turn her head and look.

"What do you plan to do with me?" Sam asked. At that moment, the henchman pulled out a small pouch from his jacket pocket. Opening it, he took a syringe, needle and small vial.

"As I said before, your resemblance to Ms. Brenda Barrett will be your most unfortunate downfall," Theo cryptically explained. In the meanwhile, the henchman filled the syringe with whatever was in the vial. Sam took notice.

"I'm willing to go with you, voluntarily. There is no need to drug me," Sam pleaded.

"Unfortunately, Ms. McCall, that is not how the plan works," and suddenly, the henchman leaped over, syringe in hand, plunged the needle into Sam's neck.

"No!"

Sam shot up from the couch, with labored breaths and sweaty palms. Sam felt comforting arms engulfing and holding her.

"Jason," she said breathlessly upon the realization that he was hugging her. She was covered in sweat as her shirt clung to her body.

"It's okay, you're safe," Jason said. Sam could feel the vibrations of his voice against her head as he held her forehead underneath his chin.

"Jason, it was Theo," Sam said, still breathless.

"I know. It was just a nightmare. Do you remember what happened?" he asked with expressive gestures. Taking a seat beside Sam, Jason placed his arm behind her on the couch.

"The kids?" Sam asked, not purposefully changing the subject but also wanting to ensure the kids were safe. She pulled a piece of wet hair out of her face and pulled it behind her ear.

"Still napping," Jason replied. The two kids were in the midst of their afternoon nap. Danny had been so ecstatically happy to see his mom back home. He insisted that he show her all he had done at school in the past week, including a book that they were learning to read and his handwriting. Then the two and Jason played all sorts of board games, Danny seemingly unphased that his mother couldn't hear him. And in the meantime, Sam kept an eye on her youngest who lay beside her in her playpen. Sam would occasionally look over and tickle her tummy or play with a plush toy to make her laugh. By afternoon, Sam, Danny, and Scout were spent. Jason brought the kids to their room and Sam crashed on the couch.

Jason could tell that Sam was still haunted by her nightmare.

"Do you want to tell me about the nightmare you had? Do you remember it?"

"Bits and pieces," Sam answered. "The last thing I see is Theo in my rearview mirror with the most wicked and evil smile."

"He can't hurt you anymore," Jason said as if it was a matter of fact.

"Is he dead?"

Jason hesitated to answer truthfully. "No." Sam's breath hitched. "We can't find him. But I will protect you."

"How?" she asked. It was not meant to offend Jason or belittle his abilities, but Theo is smart. He had everyone fooled for months. He was in plain sight for so long. Jason grabbed the iPad and handed it to Sam, feeling that gestures and mouthing the words weren't going to be enough for Sam to understand.

"I will keep you safe Sam. Don't worry about Theo," Jason replied vaguely. In earnest, he didn't have a better reply. He could wallow in the solace that Theo had no use for Sam, or her sisters, any more and wouldn't come after them again. He still needed to pay for what he did to Sam, though.

"Brenda?!" It suddenly dawned on Sam that it had been at Brenda's wedding when disaster struck and that Theo was ultimately after Brenda, and not herself. "Is she okay?"

"We don't know," Jason grabbed Sam's hands, in the hopes of calming her down, as her breathing was still heavy.

"What do you mean, Jason?"

"Theo kidnapped Brenda. He used you in the limo explosion as a decoy in the hopes that it would make everyone think that Brenda had died in the explosion. While everyone was trying to find out if Brenda was okay, Theo took Brenda. By the time we realized it was you in the limo and not Brenda, Theo was already long gone with Brenda."

"And you don't know where he took her?"

"No. We have a couple of leads though. Sonny is working with Spinelli on trying to pinpoint where Theo could have brought Brenda."

"Jason, you need to help Sonny find Brenda! He must be going crazy!"

"No Sam," he vehemently shook his head, "I'm not leaving you alone."

"I'm fine. I can take care of myself and the kids," Sam insisted.

"No, Sam, you cannot!"

Sam stared at him, shocked he'd say such a thing.

"Jason!"

"No!" Jason kept his argument. "You're still recovering from a concussion. What if you were to pass out and no one was around to help you or the kids?"

"Jason! I haven't fainted since the second day I was in the hospital!" Sam argued.

"And what about your migraines! You had one yesterday and you couldn't get out of bed!"

"They come on at night!"

Suddenly Jason's head turned to something behind Sam and he got up, running up the stairs. It took Sam a split moment to realize that Jason had heard Scout crying through the baby monitor. She couldn't hear it. She couldn't hear her own child crying for her. Jason didn't want to leave her alone because, as he said, she couldn't take care of her kids. Not because of her dizzy spells or her migraines. It was because she couldn't hear when the kids needed her. If Scout was crying or Danny needed attention, she wouldn't know.

How was she supposed to be a good mother to her two children if she couldn't be there for them? How was she to comfort them when she didn't know when to comfort them?

She could feel her cheeks redden and burn as her eyes began to well up with tears.

"Sam?" Jason came walking down the stairs with a crying Scout in his arms. He noticed Sam staring at the baby monitor, her eyes glossy and fists clenched. He walked further to stand face to face with Sam and crouched down.

"Sam, it's okay. Can you hold her?" he asked, with a motion as if to hand the baby over. Sam nodded, looking up to Jason with a despaired look. She held out her arms and grabbed Scout, placing the little girl on her lap.

Jason could see Sam wasn't right. He wanted to hold her, to reassure her, but he needed to take care of the crying baby first. "Scout is hungry," he said. He walked off towards the kitchen and Sam tried her best to calm down Scout. She rocked her back and forth and cuddled her.

"Shh," she cooed, "it's okay. Daddy will get you food." The baby squirmed less and less. Soon enough, Jason came back in the living room with a bowl of freshly cut fruit and a sippy cup of milk. He placed the food onto the coffee table and grabbed a bib from the side of the couch.

"Do you want to feed her?" he asked. Sam slowly nodded her head again. She lifted Scout so that her back was against Sam's stomach. Taking the bib from Jason, Sam wrapped it around Scout's neck. Jason handed over the plate of fruit and Scout quickly took a mushy bit of banana and stuffed it into her mouth, making her parents giggle.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Sam swallowed her tears back and looked up towards Jason. "How am I supposed to be a parent?" She bit her tongue to prevent her tears from falling out, not wanting to cry in front of her daughter who was having the best time eating her grapes and blueberries. Jason swiftly took a seat beside Sam, and, again, wrapped his arm around Sam's shoulder.

"Look at me, Sam," he said, gently using his hand on her chin to guide her face. "We will find a way." He grabbed the iPad and quickly spoke into it before handing it to Sam.

"We'll get a vibrating baby monitor, one that you can easily wear around your wrist. We can set up a small camera in the nursery that'll connect to the laptop. And we'll teach Danny how best to communicate with you so that you can stay alone with the kids. Sam, this doesn't make you any less of a mother. Millions of deaf parents do a beautiful job of raising their kids. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you will be the best parent Scout and Danny can have." The iPad said. Jason had been doing his research on how deaf parents are able to parent their children. He'd found out about so many useful tools and he was eager to have them implanted in the penthouse right away. If there was anything he could do to make Sam more independent and confident, he was doing it.

"Thank you," Sam could hardly utter the words, her tears stuck in her throat. Jason smiled, grabbing a strawberry from Scout's plate and bringing it to Sam's mouth. She leaned in and bit it out of his hands.

"Dadda!" Scout yelled, throwing her arms up, clearly upset that her dad had taken a precious fruit from her. Sam and Jason laughed before Jason grabbed another bit of strawberry and bringing it to Scout's mouth this time. All was quickly forgotten.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

"Hello, how can I help you?"

"Hello, my name is Jason Morgan, my girlfriend, Samantha McCall, has a 10 o'clock appointment with Dr. Clars."

"Right, let me sign you in quickly," the young receptionist dutifully typed away at her computer before grabbing something besides her. "Ok, the doctor knows she's here. If you could have a seat and fill out these forms, that'd be great." She handed the brooding man a clipboard and simple black pen.

"Thank you." Jason turned around and grabbed Sam's hand, bringing her over to the beige, boring and generic seating area.

"How long?" Sam asked, rather loudly as was now usual, disrupting the disgruntled and nervous air of the waiting room. Jason gave her a small signal, waving his hand ever so slightly to discreetly tell her to speak softer. She understood.

"I don't know, I didn't ask," Jason spoke into his phone, handing it over to her when the transcription was complete. "Not long I think," he hoped. He was regretting drinking his several cups of coffee this morning but with Scout having been colicky the last few days from teething, it was hard to keep his eyes open. And now his bladder was protesting.

Sam reached over to the coffee table, taking one of the month-old Crimson magazines, and began casually flipping through it. She wasn't sure what to expect from this appointment. The doctor had already told her that her hearing probably wouldn't return so she certainly tried to _not_ get her hopes up. This was simply a check-up. To ensure that she was healing well and there wasn't anything else going on. Nevertheless, it was hard to keep her hopes at bay at times.

Meanwhile Jason tried to keep his mind from his bladder but with someone getting a cup of water from the nearby water container, he knew he wouldn't last.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back," he signaled to Sam and she nodded in response. He got up, giving one last glance over to Sam and then headed to the hallway.

Sam sat quietly, occasionally looking up as someone passed by her before looking back down at her magazine. There was nothing particularly amusing about the magazine. She was never one to bemuse herself with the latest fashion trends or latest celebrity news.

Soon enough, Jason returned, casually taking a seat next to Sam again. "Has anyone called you, yet?" he asked regarding the appointment. Sam shuck her shoulders. He realized his dumb question and he felt like an idiot. How would she know if someone's called her?

"I'll be right back," he said, and he got up to walk over to the nurse's desk.

"Excuse me, has anyone called for Samantha McCall?" Jason asked. The nurse looked up with an annoyed expression plastered on her face.

"Sorry, you have to be patient. We'll call you when the doctor is ready. Please wait your turn like everyone else," the nurse replied unsympathetically as she went back to looking busy. Jason's fist clenched. He was certainly to have a conversation with his mother about this receptionist.

"I'm sorry but my wife is deaf, she may not have heard if someone came out and called her name. Now," he paused for emphasis, "can you please tell me if someone called for Sam?" He was careful to keep his temper.

The receptionist rolled her eyes in reply but looked anyway. "Yes, they called. She's in exam room 4, I'll have a nurse here show you the way." She said defeatedly.

A nurse came walking behind the desk while Jason signaled for Sam to come over. They followed the nurse through double doors and into a hallway. "I'm so sorry about that. She's new here. I'll make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Thank you," Jason appreciated the gesture. He had been confused as to why there wasn't a better system of calling patients in an ENT office, but alas, perhaps, they did and no one bothered to tell the newbie.

The nurse opened an office door and allowed the couple to walk. "Make yourselves comfortable, the doctor will be right in," and she left, closing the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" Jason asked, noticing Sam rubbing the palms of her heads together.

"Yes," she answered simply. Jason gave her a small stare. "I'm a little nervous." She changed her answer. Jason thought about a way to comfort her, a way to ease her mind but that's all he's been doing for the past two weeks and he had a feeling the both were getting sick of it.

"Me too," he replied. Sam smiled, almost reassured by such a statement. She looked behind her and took a seat on the examination table while Jason sat down on the plastic chair next to the counter. Once again, the two sat idly by but this time without the company of five other patients and family members. Occasionally, one of them would look up, check the time before going back to twiddling their thumbs.

"What time are we picking up Scout from my mom's place?" Sam asked, hoping to fill the opaque awkwardness within the room.

"Alexis said she'd drop her off before lunch," he answered. Sam held her phone out.

"Are you sure she doesn't want us to pick her up? It's along the way anyway."

Jason laughed, "not really. She lives on the other side of the city."

"Yeah, I know." Sam laughed alongside. "But still, maybe we can pick up Scout and take her out to the park or something. My mom can tow along."

"Okay, let me text her." And he typed away at his phone.

"Hello, good morning. I'm sorry for the wait," Dr. Clars walked in, shaking Jason's hand as he stood up. "Hi Sam."

"Hi," Sam waved.

"Alright," the doctor took a seat on the rolling stool and opened a file on the computer beside her. "Well, I'll start with some questions and then we can go into a physical exam. I can answer any questions you have along the way and at the end, we'll have a discussion on future steps. Sounds good?"

Jason nodded first and Sam followed, after reading the text. Sam liked the doctor. She was straight to the point. None of the flowery language that would overcomplicate matters, both on her iPad and for her increasingly irritable nerves.

"So Sam, the first question I'll ask and it may seem like the stupidest one of them all…"

"No," Sam already knew the question.

"Nothing at all?"

"No."

Dr. Clars turned to Jason, "have you noticed her responding to sound at all. Sometimes patients may not be aware that they're actually experiencing sensory input."

He shook his head.

"Okay," Dr. Clars turned back to face Sam. "And are we still feeling dizzy?"

"Sometimes, but it's getting better," Sam replied truthfully. The vertigo had improved significantly since the fainting spell but there were certainly times when she stood up from the dinner table or sat up on the couch that she could feel her head spin.

"That's to be expected and it'll probably persist a couple more months till your ear drums completely heal up," the doctor explained and then moved onto the next question, "any headaches?"

"Yes. At night, after dinner they usually come on," she replied. Jason added, "they can be pretty intense sometimes. She'll have the lights off and she'll ask that the kids are not on the top floor of the penthouse."

The doctor nodded and quickly jotted this down in her notes before looking back up at her patient, "I believe this is still residual effects from the concussion. I can prescribe you something to take the edge off if you'd like."

"Will they go away?"

"Yes, they should eventually," she answered Sam, "if in a month's time, they're not improving then I think we might want to talk to Dr. Drake but let's not concern ourselves with it. Okay, final question, are there any other symptoms you've experienced that we haven't talked about or noted?"

Sam shook her head.

"Great," Dr. Clars swiveled in her chair and grabbed a BP cuff. "Let me start with the basics of blood pressure and pulse and then I'll have a look in your ears."

After several minutes, Dr. Clars had finished her exam and went to sit down. She jotted down a few notes before looking up again. "So, your temporal membranes, the ear drums, are healing nicely, but, as I said before, it's going to take at least two months for them to completely heal up."

"And when they heal, will her hearing return?"

"It's hard to say or even predict. Sam suffered nerve damage in the blast. To what extent, we don't know. It may be possible that when her ear drums heal up, some of her hearing will return. But, it's also possible that it might," she explained. Jason sighed in disappointment though he had already known that that was going to be the answer. "I'm sorry I'm being blunt. I don't want to give you false hope."

"It's okay. I appreciate the honesty," Sam replied, clearly disappointed as well.

"And what about cochlear implants? I was doing looking it up the internet and saw that people who were born with no nerves or those who's nerves were damaged could get cochlear implants and be able to hear again?" Jason asked. Sam looked up after reading the message, not aware that Jason had done all this research. He had never brought it up to her.

"Right, well, it's a complicated situation. We don't know exactly where Sam's hearing damage occurred. The cochlear implant works by bypassing the cochlea and stimulating the auditory nerve directly. The cochlea is the part of the ear where there's a bunch of tiny hairs that can transmit sound waves into a message sent to the auditory nerve where eventually the brain is able to understand the sound waves. If the nerve hairs in Sam's cochlea were damaged, then certainly, cochlear implants may be an option later, down the line. However, if there was damage done to her auditory nerve itself, the implant isn't able to surpass that."

"Is there a way to find out what kind of hearing damage Sam has?"

"Yes, certainly. We'd need to run further tests, all of which are painless and noninvasive. I was hoping to hold off on these until Sam's ear drums healed, in the event that some of Sam's hearing returns but there's no harm in performing them now. Just be warned that they can take up quite a bit of time. Expect to be in the hospital for a few hours. Considering that, if you'd like, I can order these tests for you, Sam," the doctor explained.

"Sam?" Jason turned towards her.

"Yes, I want the tests," she didn't give it much of a second thought. Spending a few hours in the hospital wasn't much of a drag for her as she didn't do much these days anyways. Besides, she couldn't simply sit around not knowing. If there was something to be done, then it needed to be done.

"Okay, I'll have them ordered then. You can set up an appointment at the front desk on your way out," she explained and jotted down a few more things in the file. "Do you have any other questions?"

"What are the chances my hearing will come back, if it comes back at all?" Another question that both Sam and Jason knew the answer to but, maybe, just maybe, there was a different this time.

The doctor took a deep breath.

"Sam, it's impossible to know. I'd love to give you an exact answer but from experience, nerve damage is hard to recover from. I think at most you'll recover a certain percentage of your hearing, but you probably won't ever have your full hearing return," she answered honestly in a soft compassionate voice. Sam looked away, biting her lip. "I will say though that, with hearing aids, even if you have a small increment amount of your hearing return, we can always amplify the sound. And like Jason brought up, cochlear implants are always an option" she added, not wanting to sound completely pessimistic and wanting to add some hope to the equation. Either way, a long pause ensued with neither knowing exactly what to do. Jason stood up from his chair and walked over to hold Sam's hand.

"I'm okay," she replied unconvincingly.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't give out better news," Dr. Clars apologized and stood up, walking over to Sam. "We'll figure this out either way, alright."

Sam looked up, trying to keep a grip on any semblance of composure. Her cheeks were burning as the tears threatened to pour out.

"Thank you," Sam and smiled.

Soon enough all three of them walked out of the room. The doctor headed one way and the couple headed towards the elevators to go down to the parking garage.

"Sam?"

"Jason, I can't cry. It's all I've been doing these past two weeks. I don't want to cry. Besides, it's not like the doctor didn't already tell us all of this two weeks ago."

"It's okay to cry. No one is going to judge you." He said as they stood alone in the elevator.

"Let's just go to my mom's, pick up Scout and enjoy a nice day in the park."

* * *

"She's so sticking adorable," Alexis cooed at her grandchild as the little girl sat in her stroller. Sam smiled as she stood next to her mother, both staring over the sleeping angel. "Yeah, she is."

Jason had left to go pick up food at Kelly's and meanwhile the three women were having a casual afternoon in the park, watching the runners go by and skateboarders ride all the railings in the small skating park. Sam was enjoying the feeling of sun on her face, after of course, having put a ton of sunscreen on her face at her mom's directive. _"If you burn, those scabs are going to scar!"_ she had said. Sam rolled her eyes but did it anyway.

"Was Scout fussy this morning?" Sam asked.

"Scout! Fussy? No never, she was the perfect angel," Alexis replied sarcastically.

"Ugh! I want for this teething phase to be over," she said, knowing what her mother had to go through this morning.

"Ah, give it a couple of weeks and you'll forget it ever happened," Alexis said, rubbing her hands over Sam's shoulders and giving her daughter a kiss on the top of her head. The two of them left Scout to sleep and took a seat on a bench besides the stroller.

"Have you heard anything about the situation with Brenda? Jason isn't giving me any details and just changes the subject every time I ask." Sam asked.

"Well, Sonny called me the other day to ask if Italy had an extradition agreement with the USA, so I'm presuming that perhaps the Balkan has taken Brenda to Italy."

"Italy!?" Sam was shocked when she finished reading the message, "how did Theo manage that?"

"Who knows. All I care about is that all my girls are safe and sound. Speaking of, how did your appointment go this morning?"

"Hm, it was fine. The doctor said my ear drums are healing but she didn't say anything new beyond that," she explained.

"She didn't say anything else?" Alexis try to pry further. Sam didn't appreciate the pry.

"No, she didn't," Sam said matter of fact and she wasn't necessarily lying. "The doctors still aren't sure if my hearing is ever going to return. I'm going back to the hospital next week to have some more tests run to see more in depth how I became deaf."

"Are you nervous about the tests? I can come with you."

"No mom, I'm not nervous," Sam said, again matter of fact and she was beginning to become frustrated.

"Okay. And what about the results. Are you nervous about those?"

"Mom!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry," she immediately apologized and threw her hands up in retreat, realizing she'd gone a step too far.

"No, I'm sorry for snapping," Sam took a deep breath. "Can we just forget about all of this? It seems like I spend every conversation with everybody talking about my hearing and if it will return, or if I want to start sign language classes, or if my headaches are getting better. I just want to have a conversation that isn't about my hearing or the accident, please?"

"Yes, yes of course. I completely understand."

"Thank you," she took another deep breath, more of relief this time though.

"I love you," Alexis replied, opening her arms, inviting Sam. Sam leaned over and placed her head on her mother's shoulders while Alexis wrapped her arms around her daughter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Good morning sleeping beauty," he said when he knew she had woken up. The two of them lay in their king bed and Jason was lying on his side, his hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him. He'd been awake for quite a time now and he didn't feel the need to get out of bed or wake up Sam. She looked peaceful when she slept. Much more peaceful than when awake and faced with trouble of figuring out her new world.

It was now officially three weeks since being released from the hospital and just yesterday the doctor told them that the concussion was resolved, and that Sam could return to work. Jason had been hoping that the drastic change would become accustomed to over time but in fact, it seemed every day there was something, to Sam's realization, that was different or that she was missing out of. Being earnest, Jason had hoped by some miracle that Sam would've had her hearing back already, but he knew that was a far cry since the doctor's final assessment before sending Sam home.

"Hi," she replied, having felt the vibration of his voice reverberated in the room.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. He stopped asking if she could hear. It always resulted in a somber mood. Maybe one day it wouldn't but it wouldn't be soon.

"I'm okay." She answered, shrugging her shoulders. "What time is it?"

He turned around to his nightstand and took his phone, showing it to her.

"Time to get out of bed and start the day," she said, and she begrudgingly pulled the covers off her, leaving a large sigh in its wake. Jason quickly reached over, preventing her from sitting up.

"Wait, Sam."

"Jason, not now. I want to take a shower." She could feel Jason sigh. He was missing the intimacy. There was the occasional kiss and comforting hug. Sometimes a hair swipe, especially when she was upset, which wasn't too infrequent lately, but they didn't share the same space as they used to. It wasn't just about sex, though it played a role, but Jason was also missing the holding and the snuggling. Sam hasn't necessarily been cold to him, but she'd reject his casual and subtle advances. She was pulling away from him. Jason hasn't been able to figure out a reason why or a way to fix it without coming off as needy, selfish and/or desperate. Surely, he'd need to give her time.

He watched her unenthusiastically step out of bed, pick up her bathrobe from the floor, put it on, and then walk over to the bathroom. He also unenthusiastically got out of bed, headed down the stairs to start a pot of coffee and prepared a bowl of cereal for him and Sam.

Running his hand through his hair, he let out a long and frustrated sigh. The doctor's appointment two days ago had nearly sapped all the energy away from the penthouse environment. Sam seemingly went to bed earlier and earlier and would take longer naps. She wasn't eating as much as she used to. Hence why he only prepared a bowl of cereal instead of his usual gourmet omelet.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket to look through his messages and emails. There were too many and he found it hard to find a time when he was able to concentrate and get through them all. He must have over 20 assortments of messages from Sonny alone.

Jason was concerned for Brenda's wellbeing, certainly, but he could feel a rising resentment towards Sonny as the mobster continued to try to call and text. Feeling like he was doing the best he could, Jason couldn't understand what more Sonny could possibly want from him. After Sam had practically begged Jason to go back to work this past week, he's been spending his entire days looking for leads and leading the investigation into various directions along with Spinelli. And he felt as if perhaps Sonny didn't understand that he wanted desperately to find Brenda as well, albeit for a different reason. He knew that where Brenda is, is where Theo is, and he was going to exact his revenge.

"Can you take me to my PI office today?" Sam asked as she trotted down the steps, running a hand through her wet hair.

"Yes, of course. We can drop the kids off first and then I can drive over to the PI office on the way back," he answered. He knew she must be going stir crazy. She wasn't allowed to drive yet and it severely limited her on where she was able to go, beyond just the doctor's appointments etc. He handed her a cup of coffee.

"Thank you," she replied.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Fine."

"Would you like anything to eat?"

"No, thank you. I'm not hungry." And she took a few sips of her coffee.

"What are you going to do in the PI office?' Jason asked. At a previous doctor's appointment with Patrick, Sam was given the all clear to return to work and to resume all normal activity. Sam immediately jumped at the opportunity and that evening went outside for a run for the first time in a long while. Finally, she was out of the stuffy penthouse and finally she could feel like she could breathe just a little bit easier.

"I'm not sure," she answered honestly, "I think I'll see when I get there. I'm going to wake up Danny, get him ready for school." And with that, she placed her now empty cup of coffee on the kitchen counter and walked back up the stairs. Meanwhile, Jason took the other bowl of cereal he'd left for Sam and ate it.

* * *

Sam's PI business had taken a hit. Spinelli had taken over but it was difficult for him being on the opposite side of the country. Sam had wanted to begin working the moment she stepped foot into the penthouse, but Jason had put a firm foot down. He argued that she was still recovering and needed time to heal. In truth, Jason was afraid that if Sam were to go out, she wouldn't be able to hear danger approaching.

The two had argued back and forth the night before with Jason offering up to help Spinelli and do all the field work to keep the business afloat. Sam was hesitant. Jason was infamous around town and easily recognizable and visible with his big stature. He couldn't get away with hiding behind a potted plant. Nevertheless, the two of them hatched a compromise such that Sam could start working again but not endanger herself. Jason would need to be especially cautious regarding surveillance work and Sam would keep herself in the office.

"When did my worth get to zero," Sam thought to herself in a moment of self-deprecation. There was a time when she was one of the best PIs in the state. Where she felt like she was being a decent mother to her two kids.

Sam was one never to wallow in her own self-pity but here she was giving into her pitiful thoughts. And previously, she'd get angry but who was she to get angry with? Sonny? He wouldn't care. All he cared about was finding Brenda. She had yet to even hear from him since the entire fiasco started. Was she to get angry with Theo? He'd most likely enjoy that, the sick bastard he is.

Stepping into her office, she could see that some cobwebs had formed around the corners of the green walls and dust had settled all over the old brown cabinets. It'd been over a month since anyone had stepped foot here and it was showing. Sam wiped away some dust from the top of her desk and put down her bag and books before walking over to the back room to gather cleaning supplies.

"Nothing like a good cleaning to fix this place up," and she went straight to work. She dusted all the dust away, vacuumed all the webs, and mopped the stingy floors. Already being in a cleaning mood she then moved unto reorganizing all the filing cabinets and looking through old case files to see if she still needed them or if they were unnecessarily occupying needed space.

She was craving another cup of coffee. Simply a few hours of work and she was exhausted. It was like her body was running on empty, which it quite was, not that Sam seemed to notice or care much.

"Ugh, come on. I have to clean you out as well?" Sam said to herself as she looked at the coffee machine. And then she screeched and jumped as someone lightly tapped her on her shoulder.

"Are you looking for this?" it was her mother holding up two cups of coffee from the local coffee shop.

"Mom!" she yelled. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry honey," Alexis apologized.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Jason," they both answered simultaneously. "Did he call you?" Sam asked her mom. She was aware that Jason was worried and perhaps maybe sent her mother out to check on her.

"No. I called him. I wanted to ask how you were doing and if you and I can grab lunch. Little did I know you were going to work today." Alexis replied.

"Hm," Sam took a sip from the coffee, "thank you for the coffee."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm just cleaning up the office here. Seemed a few unwelcome spiders took up residence." Sam answered. "I'm happy to be back in the office."

"Do you have any interesting cases?" Alexis asked, pulling up a chair from the corner of the room and taking a seat along with Sam.

"Nope. Same old."

"Hm." There was a pause of silence as there was clearly a thick air in the room for some reason. Alexis saw that her daughter was pale, and her eyes were sunken in. Her jeans seemed to be loser around her legs as well. "Are you sure you're alright?" Alexis asked again, hoping for a more truthful answer this time.

"Yeah." Sam answered. "I don't know. I feel like Jason is hovering."

"Are you sure he isn't just worried about you?"

"I mean, I don't understand why he would be," Sam stood up and walked to the opposite side of the room, running her hands through her hair.

"Maybe it's because he feels helpless."

Sam walked back over to the desk that she was previously sitting at to look at the tablet to see what her mom had just said.

"Why would he feel helpless, mom? I keep telling him I'm fine and I am! Obviously, there's some adjusting that needs to be done. And I'm adjusting, I am. I mean, you can see, I'm doing fine!" Sam said and she became increasingly frustrated and agitated through her rant.

"Who are you trying to convince?" Alexis asked, pulling Sam's arm to have her sit down across from her again. Sam looked away upon reading Alexis's question and bit her lip. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." And there was another pause, this one longer than the last.

"Honey, you can't bottle everything in. You can say you're fine a million times but you're not fooling anyone, especially not me. I know you. I can tell that you're not fine and you need to talk to someone. Jason, me, your sisters, heck even a therapist, just someone, please," Alexis said reaching for her daughter's hand.

"A therapist?!"

"It was just a suggestion. It doesn't mean you have to follow it. I'm worried about you. I think a lot of us are worried about you."

"Mom, I just need space. I need a place where people aren't hovering over me."

"Okay, but you have to understand that that can be difficult for us. We want you to be okay and that can come across as being overbearing," Alexis explained and tried to reason.

"Then give me at least an hour a day where I can be on my own and breathe. Let me be alone for just that moment in a day."

"Okay," Alexis agreed, not wanting to push it any further, and then continued, "I still think it's a good idea for you to have a sit-down conversation with Jason. You two can work together on what you need. And I promise I'll do my best to not hover."

"Thank you, Mom," Sam stepped out of her chair to reach over and give her mom a tight hug. Alexis most assuredly returned with a warm encompassing hug.

"Come on, let's go grab some lunch," Alexis stood up and took her daughter's hand.


End file.
